More than 80 participants from wood-based panel manufacturers around the world attended the first DIEFFENBACHER Technology Symposium, held July 2 to 4 at the NH Collection Hotel in Heidelberg, Germany.
“We were overwhelmed by the great response to our first Technology Symposium,” says Stefan Zipf, Head of the Wood Business Unit at DIEFFENBACHER. “The fact that so many decision-makers, technologists and wood-based panel experts attended from far and wide confirms the need for this event.”
Day one of the Technology Symposium began with an evening get-together, allowing participants to network in a relaxed atmosphere and exchange ideas with fellow plant owners, managing directors and technologists.
Day two featured a series of presentations, beginning with Prof. Dr. Andreas Michanickl from the Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences discussing the challenges of raw material supply. Various DIEFFENBACHER experts then spoke on topics ranging from glue-saving potential to wood recycling—especially MDF recycling.
“Following each presentation, participants answered brief interactive live surveys about topics from the presentations and related industry challenges,” explains DIEFFENBACHER’s Head of Technology Daniel Schwartze. “We then discussed the survey results, giving us all valuable insights into market trends and current issues facing wood-based panel production and production management,” he says.
Later on day two, participants visited DIEFFENBACHER’s headquarters in Eppingen to learn how the company is turning production research and concepts into real-world solutions. A plant tour, which included the DIEFFENBACHER Technical Center—housing the test laboratory and research center—gave participants a behind-the-scenes look at the machine and plant manufacturer.
Day three of the symposium delved into sustainability, process optimization and artificial intelligence. Speakers Venla Hemmilä, Material & Technology Engineer at IKEA, and Dr. Henrike Stephani from the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics discussed bio-based resins and the possibilities of AI-supported board surface inspection. A panel discussion on the challenges and benefits of digitalization wrapped up the symposium.
“Participants told us our first Technology Symposium was a valuable use of their time, full of interesting insights, learnings they can apply and meaningful personal connections,” concluded Zipf. “That feedback was gratifying and exactly what we had hoped for.”
